HAYS, Kan. - Central Region champion Fort Hays State seeks its first ever trip to the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 20) when it hosts Midwest Region champion Rockhurst at FHSU Soccer Stadium in the national quarterfinals at 1 pm. It is a rematch of last year's national quarterfinal match. Rockhurst is ranked No. 6 in the nation, while FHSU is No. 16.
 
Both the Tigers and Hawks are No. 1 seeds from their respective regions. Rockhurst needed a penalty kick shootout to get past Drury on Friday night in its regional final, while FHSU broke a scoreless tie with a golden goal in overtime to down Lindenwood in its regional final match on Friday.
 
The Tigers (14-4-1) tied the Hawks (17-2-3) in last year's national quarterfinal match on the Hawks' home field in Kansas City, but fell in a penalty kick shootout leaving them just shy of the national semifinals for a second straight year. FHSU fell to Rockhurst in the second game of the regular season this year by a score of 2-1, but FHSU looks to break through on its home field Sunday.
 
FHSU is now the three-time defending Central Region champion, but looks to defeat a Midwest Region champ for the first time. In 2014, FHSU fell to Quincy University in the national quarterfinals after having a two-goal halftime lead erased in a 3-2 loss.
 
Redshirt-senior Michael Cole delivered the game winner for FHSU in overtime Friday evening off a pass from Mauricio Castorino. Cole sat out last season, but was also key in Fort Hays State's 2014 NCAA Tournament success. He had a goal in the Central Regional Final that year against Northeastern State, a match that saw FHSU eventually advance on a penalty kick shootout. He then had one of the two FHSU goals in the national quarterfinal match against Quincy. Cole now has four NCAA Tournament goals going back to his freshman year of 2012.